


The sea

by Charles_Z_Earp



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Eventual Sex, Eventual relationship, F/F, Fluff, Romance, Slow Burn, Travelling-AU, Wayhaught - Freeform, Wayhaught on Twitter, eventual kiss, no demons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2019-02-07
Packaged: 2019-04-08 11:08:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14104035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charles_Z_Earp/pseuds/Charles_Z_Earp
Summary: Waverly Earp lives a monotonous and corrosive life. A guy without any manners, so far no chance to leave her place, disturbed family relationships contribute to it.A woman she meets on the internet is destined to change her life. How will she do that, what adventure will Waverly get involved in, and what kind of relationship will they develop?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I had planned to finish this story in the beginning of this year and post everything. Life is usually different than planned. I post the first few chapters now, then I definitely can't write for 2 weeks, but try to keep going! Since I'm traveling myself, I either get the ulimative inspiration, or I'll be busy with other things. Anyway, I'm not someone who simply leaves fanfics open. Sooner or later I will finish this. Now have fun with the beginning! Oh and... English is not my native language, but I've tried very hard to write correctly.

"No, Champ! I just don't want it!"

"You never really want it! What's your problem?!"

Waverly and Champ were standing in the doorframe of the front door to the homestead and were arguing again. They had an appointment, and when Waverly opened the door for him he just stormed in, roughly grabbed her, and gave her kisses that were anything but loving. Just as he did almost every time.  
Actually Waverly had organized this meeting in hope to inform Champ that she was not really happy with their relationship. She knew her boyfriend was not the most attentive, but she wanted to give it a chance. After this performance it just was enough for Waverly though. Champ was annoying her extremly and she just wanted to send him away, and so she did.

"Please go now, Champ. We talk another time"

"Talk? About what??"

Waverly rolled her eyes, and slammed the door shut in front of the unsuspecting Champ.

"Waverly? What's that supposed to mean?? Do you have your period or what?"

Waverly let out a aghast snort. She's been thinking a lot lately. That's just not what she wanted. She was anything but self-indulgent or conceited, but over the past few months in a relationship with Champ, she has decided that she does not want to cope with his behavior anymore and deserves better. She knew that a love relationship should make her happy, but she was not. Having a boyfriend was exciting, and in the circle of friends she had a better reputation, but Waverly missed a certain feeling. A feeling that other couples in love always talked about. She had no idea what it felt like. And she knew she would not find out with Champ.

Frustrated by the incident, Waverly walked up the stairs and into her room. She was home alone, and that was a good thing. She just needed some time for herself. Wynonna will be back late, she was on patrol with Doc, a trusted friend, if you can call it like that. She closed the door and looked around her room, thinking about what to do next. Before Champ came, she was snooping around in old books, now lying scattered on her bed. Then she saw the laptop on her desk and decided that it is sufficient for today with cramming. A little surfing in the internet is certainly relaxing.

She fell into the chair with a melancholy sigh. Although she was proud of herself she had realized on her own that the thing with Champ was simply not good, it was still distressing. She was also not sure how to end it yet.

She opened the laptop and started it up. Every time she did, she was received with a background image of a sea. Waverly has never been to the sea, and it was always meant to remind her of her dream that she'll see one live someday.

She checked mails first. Nothing special. Then she went directly to Twitter. Before that she was on Facebook for years, but after being harassed by local people because of her sister Wynonna she used it less and less, and now pretty much not anymore. Wynonna was a rebel, and since people hardly dared to address her directly out of awe they simply contacted her little sister via Facebook and asked her to stop her behavior.

Waverly got really annoyed, after all, she can not help the questionable behavior of her sister. And it was not her job to take such measly messages seriously. Especially not when they were so rude formulated. In search of something new, she came across Twitter. It seemed perfect. Nobody knew her there, and she decided to keep that up so that no one she knew personally came up with the idea to annoy her again.

She logged in and saw 5 notifications and 1 message. The message came from a chat group in which she was involved. In the chat were people whose hobby was the same as Waverlys: foreign languages. There Waverly felt understood. The exchange was extremely fun, especially since in real life she did not have any with whom she could talk about it.

Before she checked her notifications, she took another look at her own profile. She had a beautiful, sharp profile picture in it. In the picture she had a plaited braid hanging over her shoulder and she looked down and to the side with a smile. Her profile name was 'Waves' with a water wave emoji behind it. Her description was: 'A girl who loves old books and foreign languages. My languages are: English, Latin, French and some Spanish and German. Longing for the sea.'

She has been tagged a lot on other people's travel pictures or on new book suggestions. The tags often came from the people in the group chat, who often went on trips. They knew that Waverly had little chance of traveling, so they always wanted to cheer her up with their own pictures. Waverly appreciated that, but she could not deny feeling often envy or sadness, as she would have liked to be the person in those pictures herself.

After her mother left when she still was a baby and her father died a few years later, the oldest and third sister, Willa, took all the leftover money and ran away. She was never seen again either. After Wynonna and Waverly were adopted by her aunt Gus and her uncle Curtis who still lived in their town Purgatory, Wynonna made tracks with the little money she had as well. Waverly was 19 years old back then. Wynonna was gone for 3 years, until she returned to her 26th birthday a year ago, because Curtis died. Waverly was disappointed with her, but meanwhile they have found each other again and moved back in their old parents homestead together.

She herself had no way to leave Purgatory. As a waitress in the bar 'Shorty's', which belonged to her aunt Gus, she just made ends meet. Gus would have liked to offer her niece more, but she did not own much herself. Purgatory does not have to offer much, and people know the name 'Earp' because of rebel Wynonna. No luck in finding another job after many tries so far. She often told Waverly to pursue her dreams, after all her sisters have made it out of this hellhole as well, but somehow Waverly lacked the courage to do so. She was not ready for it yet.

As she clicked on her notifications, she was again tagged as expected on a travel picture of a woman from the chat group. She was traveling through South America and posed in front of the „Gocta“ in the picture, a waterfall in Peru. "Saludos desde el Perú!" was the headline. Waverly liked the picture and scrolled on. It were the usual notifications. But in the end she suddenly discovered something new.

A like on one of her tweets from a profile she had not seen before, and which immediately drew her attention. She clicked on it and directly on the profile picture. On it was a woman with fiery red and shoulder-length hair. She had a likewise red-haired, extremely fluffy cat sitting on her shoulder. She grinned at the cat to the side and it seemed as if the cat was smiling back. Waverly was thrilled. She wanted to see more.

She searched the pictures and was spellbound. The woman had uploaded some of herself and Waverly stared at them with her mouth slightly open. She was extremely pretty, her brown eyes and the dimpled smile were mesmerizing. A strange feeling shot through Waverly's stomach and she could not really figure out what that meant.

Her username was 'Nic' with a cat Emoji behind it. Waverly wondered what her real name might was. Nicole? Or maybe Nicola?  
Her description was: '26 years. In love with my cat. "If you want to create a different future, you have to do what you haven't done before. You must walk into the unknown".' That made Waverly ponder. Somehow she had something inspiring about her. After the text only emojis came. First a police woman. Then a few that could be associated with nature, and finally rainbow emojis. As far as Waverly knew, the rainbow was a sign for the LGBTQ community. She could not resist the smile at the thought this woman could be involved in this.

The header picture. She had not really looked at it yet. When she first saw it fully, she was puzzled. The woman stood in front of a sea looking into the distance, into the endless. The picture had something magical about it. While Waverly glanced at it, she noticed that she had not even looked at the tweet the mysterious woman had actually liked from her. She hurried to the notifications and saw that it was a quote Waverly tweeted yesterday. 'Land is the secure ground of home, the sea is like life, the outside, the unknown.'

Waverly was speechless. It seemed as if this woman knew about her yearnings. That Waverly would love to travel to the sea, that she would like to go but does not dare, that she is looking for a certain feeling... _What?_ She shook her head. She was unsure. Somehow it was a bit scary, this woman irritated her but it was not a negative feeling. It was even a totally positive, curious feeling. Waverly thought about what to do next. The like should not remain without reaction. Waverly also decided to like a tweet from 'Nic'.

She went back to her profile and looked at the latest tweets. Often they were quotes and Waverly agreed with each one of them. Then she discovered one that was not a quote. Posted 1 day ago: 'Just arrived at home. Hudson Bay, it's been a pleasure!' 2 days ago she had uploaded a picture that appeared to be the Hudson Bay. Even without the circumstances Waverly would probably have liked the picture. The scenery was so breathtaking. Suddenly the wanderlust seemed bigger than ever.

Now Waverly mustered her courage and liked the two tweets. As she did, she felt a slight tingling in her stomach again. She could not control it, it just came. What did that mean? She usually did not have that if she liked anything she found good.

She surfed for one more hour on the internet. From the mysterious woman came no reaction. Would she even react? Waverly was quite tense the whole time. She thought she was totally stupid when she realized that she was beginning to doubt. It is probably better to get some distraction.

She decided to bring the homestead into shape again. Since she lived here with Wynonna, it often looked as if a bomb had been erupted. Wynonna spread constant mess. Her clothes were lying around, half empty alcohol bottles were standing in the kitchen, and she often left sticky stains on furniture and flooring from the food. No, that should not become normality. That's why Waverly got down to work.

After 3 hours the homestead was habitable again. Waverly's sweat was on her forehead and she frowned, impressed with what she just did. Getting something right again that was caused by Wynonna is really a feat. Disgusted by the sweaty clothes, Waverly made her way to the shower. During the shower, she heard the door pop. The dirtbird herself was probably just coming home.

After she finished, she went down to greet her sister.

"Hey baby girl. Did you clean up? It smells like hospital. It stings in the nose"

"It was my pleasure, sister heart"

"Would've been bad if not!"

Waverly looked at Wynonna with an uplifted eyebrow and crossed arms.

"Okay, no, joking aside. Thank you, it smelled like Shorty's lavatory and yet I still wouldn't have cleaned it. What would I be without you?" Wynonna walked up to Waverly and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Oh, and I was shopping. Do you want to cook dinner?"

"Would you help with it?"

"Waverly, the last time I wanted to cook, the homestead almost burned down. If you want a place to sleep this night, that's not such a good idea."

Waverly let out an exhausted sigh and grabbed the grocery bag. She often was annoyed that her sister almost never helped in the household. But Wynonna was right, at her last cooking attempt she had managed to set the curtains of the kitchen window on fire. No one has any clue of how that could happen.

Wynonna was already sitting at the table as Waverly set down the pasta with the tomato cream sauce.

"Bon appetit!" they said at the same time.

First they ate in silence, then Wynonna began to speak.

"So, how was your day? How was the meeting with the jerk?"

Waverly rolled her eyes. Even though Champ was out of favor with her, Wynonna never liked him and her derogatory comments never made it any easier for Waverly.

"It didn't really happen. I sent him away again"

Wynonna made big eyes "What? Why's that? What has he done again?"

"I just realized it isn't working. He's totally rough with me, and I just don't want it anymore. Love certainly feels very different. I want to be free and feel good, with or without relationship. It's about time that something changes..."

Waverly just blurted everything out and wandered off quite a bit. She became more and more profound from word to word, and Wynonna was visibly moved by her sisters answer. She reached across the table and put her own hand on Waverly's.

"I'm sorry baby girl. You deserve better. You're such a great person. You really should go and do whatever the fuck you want. You never as bad and just ran away like me or Willa, you always stayed here. It's time to do your own thing"

Waverly looked at her sister and nodded with a small smile, "Thanks, Wynonna..." and she was right. She could not stay here forever and go on like this. But where and how to start? In her mood, she reached for her mobile phone and checked Twitter. 1 notification. She clicked on it, then was wide-eyed and gasped slightly.

' **Nic** followed you'


	2. Chapter 2

Waverly tried to hide her excitement, but in vain.

"...Waverly? What's wrong?"

 _Shit_ Waverly thought. What should she say? She was definitely not ready to tell her about the mysterious woman.

"Ehhhm. Just a new book which I discovered. Exactly! It sounds really interesting!"

"Oh really? What's it called?" Wynonna asked the question because she did not believe Waverly's answer.

"Ehh.. 'The sea'! Yes! 'The sea' by John Banville!" Waverly had bought it years ago and probably already read it three times, but Wynonna did not know that.

Apparently it helped. "Alright.. Whatever. Thanks for dinner!" with that Wynonna dragged herself off the chair and brought her plate into the kitchen. "I'll go to bed now. Patrol with Doc was soooo exhausting." Wynonna threw Waverly a playful wink.

Seriously? She could have guessed what kind of patrol it was once again. She still does not quite understand why the local police station has taken Wynonna as a help, and why someone like Doc was employed there as a solid policeman. Admittedly, there was never much going on in Purgatory for the police, and they probably are not prepared for an emergency.

Since Wynonna was gone now, Waverly could turn back to Twitter. She followed her now... wow. It always was nice to have new followers, but by this one she was especially pleased. She obviously seemed interested in her. Waverly felt very silly with all her joy. But she did not care now. She had at least as much interest in 'Nic'. The next step was clear to Waverly: She followed her back. With a smile, she packed her mobile phone into her trouser pocket and tidied up the remaining dishes. She was excited to see how things will turn out.

It was already 11 pm. The time where Waverly went to sleep. She made herself ready for bed and cuddled up in it when she pulled her phone out and went on Twitter once again. She did not expect much more, just wanted to take a quick look. 1 message. Certainly by her chat group. Seeing who the message actually came from, she took a deep breath and felt a small wave of adrenaline rush through her stomach.

The message came from her. Why was she so excited? She did not even know the woman. However, Waverly could not stop her excitement, she accepted the chat request with a smile.

 **Nic:** 'Hello! I hope you don't find it strange that I impose on you on Twitter like this... But I discovered your profile a few days ago and find you really interesting as a person. And there I thought I just try it.. :)'

Waverly was more than thrilled. Sure, there were a lot of idiots on the internet and one should not be so gullible, but somehow she believed every single word. And the profile also seemed trustworthy. The situation was really exciting, and she was extremely curious to learn more from her as well. What should she answer? After some attempts to write a good answer, she finally sent one off.

 **Waves:** 'Hi! No, it's alright :) And that's really flattering.. The interest is based on reciprocity :)'

 **Nic:** 'I'm relieved! Oh, perfect.. Then I seem to have done everything right ;)'

 **Waves:** 'Yeah, apparently ;) So.. What exactly do you find so interesting about me? :D'

 **Nic:** 'So firstly... I can't help someone who's not thrilled by your profile picture :P Secondly.. the way you write.. I like it. You seem to be a profound person'

Waverly was totally flattered. The woman was apparently quite confident. Granted, who is not on the internet? But with her, Waverly had the feeling she was in reallife too.

 **Waves:** 'How charming ;) :) And that's really nice.. Yeah, I really like to think outside the box.. without wanting to sound too selfish. But I can't say anything else about you! Your quotes are awesome, and your pictures have something special about them'

 **Nic:** 'That's not selfish, that's true! I think that's really good! Well, thank you :) ... I'm not traveling that long yet. But I don't want to miss it anymore'

 **Waves:** 'Thank you :) And I like to believe that. Travelling is something wonderful'

 **Nic:** 'I agree.. You make so many experiences. It's a refreshment for the mind'

 **Waves:** 'I like to believe that, too..'

 **Nic:** 'I understand... Purgatory, huh?'

Waverly's eyes widened. How did she know where she lived? As much as she enjoyed it, she found that scary.

 **Waves:** 'How do you know that? O.o ??'

 **Nic:** 'Haha.. don't worry, I'm not a sick stalker or anything like that. You uploaded a picture with Shorty's in the background. I made a little layover there in one of my trips'

Seriously? She has been here in Purgatory? Waverly could scarcely believe that travelers would get lost in this small town. So she was already very close..  
That thought somehow made Waverly feel more familiar with the woman.

 **Waves:** 'No way! For real?? I work there! Why didn't I see you, when were you there?'

 **Nic:** 'No kidding! To be honest not so long ago.. about 3 months ago?'

 **Waves:** 'Wow! I must've been off that day..'

 **Nic:** 'Apparently.. I wouldn't have overlooked such a great woman like you'

Now, Waverly blushed. Nic was really bold. And she liked it. What should she answer? The daredevil kind was not used to Waverly. Whatever.

 **Waves:** 'Oh.. I can only give that back.. :)'

 **Nic:** 'Thanks a lot, Waves :)'

 **Waves:** 'You're welcome, Nic :) So.. and where do you live? We want to stay fair ;)'

 **Nic:** 'Right, where are my manners. I currently live in Edmonton :)'

Edmonton. That is not far away. Waverly felt a strange sense of relief that Nic was not living somewhere at the other end of the country.  
They wrote about anything and everything for a while, until Waverly glanced at the clock again. 3 am. What the hell? Where has the time gone? It seemed extinguished as she wrote with Nic.

 **Waves:** 'Hey, chatting with you is really fun, but I should go to sleep now. We'll continue tomorrow, ok? :)'

 **Nic:** 'All right, Waves. Time seemed to be vanished, right? I wish you a good night and sweet dreams :) xoxo'

 **Waves:** '..thanks :) Until tomorrow then xoxo'

Waverly turned off her mobile phone, laid it on her stomach, and could not help smiling a little. She could not wait to continue the conversation tomorrow.

When Waverly woke up the next morning and checked her messages, she saw that Nic had not written. But Waverly did not think that was bad. She had the feeling that Nic really did not want to be too intrusive. So she made the start for today.

 **Waves:** 'Good morning :) You all right?'

She got ready for the day and had breakfast. After that it was 11 am. It was a Monday, and by 4 pm she had duty at Shorty's again. What should she do until then? She would not mind chatting with Nic all the time... but she was certainly busy.

She decided to go to the local cafe with a good book. She was very well-known in the town, so she was never really alone. If she wanted, there was always someone to talk to.

"Wynonna?! I'm going!" she shouted up the stairs. Of course, Wynonna was still sleeping. It came back a sleepy answer.

"It's good, Waves. Do what you want to do"

With that she was out the door. On the way she met many older people from the town. They always greeted her very dearly. When she entered the cafe, she was directly welcomed with a smile. The elderly lady Margret, shopkeeper, was a very sweet one.

"Waverly! My Sunshine! How are you on Monday morning?"

Waverly valued her kindness very much. That's why she was a regular guest.

"Hello Margret! I'm fine, the weather is lovely. How're you, is your knee better?"

Margret fell at home several weeks ago.

"Oh, it's alright. I'm tough! What treat can I give you? The usual?"

"The usual, absolutely right!" grinned Waverly.

Margret took the order and asked Waverly to settle down. She took a seat at the window and took out her book. Then suddenly another thought came to her. Surely she has already answered. The book was forgotten.  
1 new message.

 **Nic:** 'Have a wonderful good morning :) Since you've written, definitely! How're you? What are you up to?'

 **Waves:** 'Sweet :P Also fine! I'm currently sitting in my favorite cafe.. Enjoying the time before going to work :)'

 **Nic:** 'Ahh okay.. Shorty's ;) What I wanted to ask .. Could I maybe learn your real name? Your username 'Waves' brings me to nothing. And because we want to stay fair... my name is Nicole. Was obvious, right?'

So Nicole. Waverly had almost thought that. But the certainty was better. The name kinda suited her. Nicole...

 **Waves:** 'Exactly :P It kinda truly was, but thanks for the info! Yeah you can... my name is Waverly :)'

 **Nic:** 'Waverly? I've never heard this name before... it's beautiful. It suits you'

Before Waverly could answer, her order arrived at the table. Margret's employee Rosita put the cup of cappuchino in front of her.

"Hey you? Why're you grinning like that?" she winked at Waverly.

I really grinned? Waverly thought. She quickly sought an excuse.

"Oh, ehh.. I just saw a funny picture"

"Well well.. that must've been REALLY good"

Waverly blushed. She should be more careful. But somehow she could not control her reactions to Nicole's messages.

"Hey, it's all right, it's none of my business!" grinned Rosita "Anyway, enjoy your chappuchino!"

"Thank you" Waverly smiled a little sheepishly at her.

Rosita had moved to Purgatory some time ago. Nobody exactly knows why until this day. No one, especially at a young age, would ever move here. Waverly, however, thought it was good that it had such a fresh addition, and she got along very well with Rosita.  
Now back to Nicole.

 **Waves:** 'Thank you.. :) I've never heard it anywhere else either to be honest'

 **Nic:** 'You seem to be special thoroughly :)'

Waverly could hardly save herself from compliments. Could one already call Nicole's behavior flirting? She was unsure. But she enjoyed it. There was never anyone else who noticed her unusual name.

 **Waves:** 'Because of you, I've been already asked why I'm grinning on my phone like this. I think next time will come soon.. with all those compliments :D'

 **Nic:** 'Really? That makes me happy, and I'm relieved that I'm not the only one. My granny asked me this morning why I would grin like that. Then I was admonished to put my phone away while breakfast'

And there it was. Waverly had to grin again. The thought of Nicole responding to the messages just as much as she did pleased her.

 **Waves:** 'Haha! How cute! Do you live with your granny, if I may ask?'

 **Nic:** 'No, I live alone, but I visit her very often :)'

When Waverly looked at the clock, it was nearly 2 pm again. Time just flew by as she wrote with Nicole. She could really get lost in it, never before she could write so nicely with someone.

She said goodbye to the people and left the cafe.  
On the way through the town she suddenly heard someone approaching from behind.

"Waverly!! Waverly wait!" It was Champ. Oh, right, something had happened yesterday. Actually, she had no desire to have this conversation, but on the other hand, it was due. She stopped.

"Waverly, can you explain to me what that was yesterday?!"

"I find it rather sad that you've no idea yourself, Champ. You don't treat your girlfriend the way you should do it!"

"What?! What've I ever done to you? You're completely exaggerating!"

"Are you serious Champ? You just don't realize when I don't like something. You only pay attention to your needs. I've been tired of our relationship for a long time, but you never noticed it. Well, how? The only thing you always want is SEX!"

Champ looked totally dumbfounded. One could see him realizing for the first time what was going on. But insight was not an option for Champ.

"That's ridiculous! ...what do you want to do now, huh? Breaking up?" Champ grinned mockingly.

"I think that's a good idea, Champ. Yes, it's over!"

Now Champ no longer grinned. He looked totally puzzled. He had not expected that.  
Waverly just turned around and walked off. A small smile of pride did not stay out.

"Waverly? WAVERLY! You can't do that! You're completely crazy! No one else will take you!!"

But she did not react anymore, she just kept going. She did not know exactly why, but suddenly she had to think about Nicole.


	3. Chapter 3

Waverly was nervous.

She and Nicole have been chatting for almost a week for a few hours each day now. They just got along brilliantly. Waverly had also learned about her that she worked as a police officer in Edmonton. This totally delighted her. She was convinced that Nicole was a good policewoman. Unlike Wynonna or Doc... Doc was dutiful and dealt with cases seriously, but which policeman would sleep with his help while on duty?  
In addition, Nicole told her about her travels that she started earlier this year, for what she took a longer break from work. She traveled crisscross through Canada to get to know her homeland better.

Yesterday, Saturday, she asked Waverly if she would like to do a video chat with her. Despite some uncertainty, she agreed directly. She really wanted to see the woman behind the profile live. To be honest, she would not have wondered if it had been a fake profile... she was just so pretty. This sympathetic smile, the fire-red hair, the friendly eyes, the good figure... And then this character. That was actually too good to be true.

Waverly did not know how to classify her feelings. She just knew Nicole from photos, and already had such thoughts about her. Besides, she had never had such for a woman before. It could not have been because she had missing needs because of Champ. She was glad that he was gone. Did she perhaps have a general lack of certain needs?  
She was unsure, and surely the video chat would bring more clarity to light.

In the evening, she caught herself checking her hair and face, if she looked good enough for the video chat. Was she completely going crazy now? Why always this excitement? Just before she clicked the call button icon on her laptop, her heart pounded faster than normal. What will she expect? Will it really be the woman in the pictures? What if not? Waverly did not know an answer to that question, but a sense of pure disappointment instead.

Before she could think further, suddenly a person appeared on her screen.

"Good evening to you!"

Waverly was speechless for a moment. It really was her. No fake. That smile was unmistakable. She felt a great relief. Then she smiled.

"Hiii! Oh my god so cool that it worked out!" she tried to hide her nervousness. Especially because she realized that Nicole seemed visibly relaxed. So why the stress?

"Yes, I think so too! ...man, I'm glad you're not a fake. That would've been a shame!"

Funny. Apparently she had similar worries.

"Seriously? I thought exactly the same thing! ...is that why you wanted to do this?"

"Not mainly, no. But the certainty really feels good! Well, the real concern was that I can finally admire this special person live with whom I write all the time"

During her last sentence, Nicole really looked as if she'd scanned Waverly properly as she was on the screen, and wandered off in admiration. Waverly could not help but blush and look away with an sheepish smile. Not only was she so brave at texting, as it seemed.  
This did not go unnoticed by Nicole, and she smiled triumphantly.

"You're really too cute! I've to say I can't complain either... it's nice to see you like that" Waverly could swear she also saw Nicoles cheeks blushing.

They laughed a lot, beamed together, told each other stories. However, they still held back with too personal things. Both had the feeling that they should rather leave them for another, better opportunity. Just as when texting, one could talk to Nicole totally carefree. She was attentive, always knew the right thing to say, was just totally nice... and sweet.

Waverly caught herself again and again as she just watched Nicole dreamily and with a smile. But only because Nicole then threw her a questioning look. But not without grinning dreamily herself.

In between Nicole held some pictures of her travels for Waverly in the camera. Many of them had been shot at a sea. She admired where she has been already. Hudson Bay, Pacific Ocean, Beaufort Sea, Labrador Sea, Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Atlantic Ocean.

"Wow... you seem to love the sea, right?"

"Yes, I do indeed... you haven't been there yet, have you?"

"How do you know that?"

"Well.. if one looks closely at your profile, one will notice it after a while. The info that you long for it, constantly posting quotes about it, but not a single picture of water uploaded"

Okay, she was clever too. Not that Waverly did not notice already, but wow. Nicole paid so much attention to the details. Especially at Waverly, as it seemed. She noticed things that others would not even have noticed after half a year. In her chat group, everyone first learned that Waverly was not at the sea before when she told it to them. And they all reacted pretty much alike: pitying. But that only made Waverly even more depressed about the situation.

"You... are really smart. No, I haven't been there yet... but hopefully I'll be there soon." She looked down a bit sad.

"You will, Waverly... you will!"

There was so much power and promise in that statement, and Waverly glanced back up at Nicole. Even her face told her that there was no doubt about it. She did not know how and when, but she would probably come to the sea sometime.

Waverly smiled fiercely, it gave her courage. Nicole kinda gave her courage in general. She felt that something could develop with her.  
Before she could answer, it suddenly crashed loudly on the other side of the screen and it went dark.

"Nicole?! What happened??"

"Shit, CJ! Not again!!"

Suddenly a picture appeared again and she could see Nicole at the other end of the room turning on the big room light and putting up a standart lamp. Then she came back and sat down with a sigh.

"Well.. I wasn't completely honest when I told you that I live alone.."

Suddenly a bundle of fluff jumped in front of the lens.

"May I introduce? This is Calamity Jane, known for constantly knocking down my furniture" Nicole grinned and took the cat on her lap, fondled her.  
Waverly had to giggle.

"Oh my god, she's so cute!! Well, apart from tearing your house into pieces"

They laughed and talked for a while longer, then Nicole made the final cut.

"Well, it were really nice 4 hours with you. I should go to bed now, even if I could totally continue this!"

Waverly looked at the clock in shook.

"4 hours?? That were never 4 hours! Somehow I always forget the time. It's just totally fun with you"

"I think so too, Waverly!..." both blushed slightly and smiled sheepishly "I wish you a good night. We write or see us tomorrow!"

„Absolutely! Good night, Nicole...“

With that she was gone. Waverly took a deep breath. Was it normal to feel that way about someone you knew so briefly and did not even personally face? Nicole confused her, but it felt good. She was really curious how things would go on. Things looked promising...

***

"Waverly, something's different about you" she and Wynonna were just having lunch "are you hiding something from me?"

"What do you mean? What exactly is different about me?"

"Well, I can understand when one has a permanent grin on breaking up with Champ Hardy, but you're grinning about something else. Especially when you look at your phone"

What should she say now? The excuses came to an end. She felt a little bad that she had not told her sister about Nicole yet. But she was worried that Wynonna would ridicule her. There were just too many bad stories from people getting to know each other over the internet. Nevertheless, she was convinced that this was something special. After all, they've always did video chat the last few days, and each time it just went great. And always those glances.. God, how will it be when Nicole stands in front of her?

"Waverly?" She seems to have wandered off again. "Who is it?"

"What?"

"Who is it?"

"What do you mean??". Of course she knew exactly what she meant. But she felt caught.

"It can only be like this. How long already? Tell me about him!"

_Him..._

Damn it. It was a moment when Waverly really realized for the first time that she had a crush on Nicole. On a woman. No one in Purgatory would ever suspect that of her. In this town something like this was never an topic. She had never seen a same-sex couple here either, how would the inhabitants think of something like that? How would Wynonna think about it, when she will tell her now? Waverly was a bit panicked, but she decided to be honest. Sooner or later she would have to tell her sister about it.

"It's... a she" Waverly spoke quietly, looking embarrassed in another direction.

Wynonna stared at her. She really had not expected that. She had no experience whatsoever with this topic, but never had something against it either. That's why she did not wanted to sound too surprised, but she could not turn off a higher tone in her voice.

"REALLY? Waves, I had no idea.. how did you meet? Is she coming from the area?"

Waverly was pleasantly surprised by the reaction, and when she looked up again, she saw Wynonna looking very curiously. She had to smile and felt much relieved. But still unsure, because the details still were about to come.

"You.. don't mind, then?" she asked a little incredulously.

"Waves.. you're my little sister and I love you as you are.. I'd never have anything against you" meanwhile Wynonna thought about how she let Waverly down at the time she ran away back then. She has always vowed to herself to be there for her since her return, due to feelings of guilt "yet you must divulge your secret to me now! So?"

Waverly had to giggle a little, and one could see she had watery eyes. She was really relieved that Wynonna saw it so easily.

"Thanks, Wynonna...! And no she doesn't come from here.. we... met each other over the internet. She's from from Edmonton"

"Edmonton, huh.. can I see a picture?" Wynonna grinned.

"O-kaaay?" Waverly looked a little puzzled at how curious she reacted. She pulled her phone out, went on Twitter, and picked out a random picture of Nicole. She could really take any, each one looked amazingly good.

"WOAH! I think I'll rethink my sexuality once more!" Wynonna looked wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the image of the red-haired woman, but it was meant rather as a joke. Typically Wynonna.

"You're nuts!" Waverly laughed out loud.

"I know. Thanks! And.. she's real? You know the dangers on the internet, right, baby girl?"

"Hard to believe, but yes.. she's actually real" she smiled dreamily "we've been video chatting the last few days after writing for one week. She's kind of special.."

"Ahh, that explains the loud giggling from your room every night! ..what do you think? Do you mean it could become something?"

Waverly blushed a bit "I don't know Wyn.. I don't even know if she thinks the same thing, even though it actually seems like that. I also don't know whether she likes women.."

"Hello? Not so pessimistic please! I've seen your face the last days. You should try it" she winked at Waverly confidently.

Waverly beamed "Do you think so? But.. I don't want to rush. We've not even met yet"

"That's THE opportunity! You wanted to get out of Purgatory. Drive to Edmonton!"

"All alone? ...and what if something goes wrong? Should I ask her if I could stay at her place? No, I can't just do that. Not now. Hotel? But that would be kinda strange. And no money. Oh, I don't kno-"

"WAVERLY! It was just a suggestion. You've to know what you want yourself. I would only be glad for you, if you finally would have someone decent by your side!"

Waverly was stunned. Her sister was usually a bit overly cautious, but now? She even thought further ahead of her and Nicole than herself. Should she really ask for a meeting? Actually, she would always be ready to face Nicole. So why not?

***

 **Waves:** 'Hey you :)'

 **Nic:** 'Hey, how are you? What's up today?'

 **Waves:** 'Not much. As you know on Wednesdays I'm free :) And you? Did you get your vacation?'

Nicole had announced 2 days ago that she wanted to go on her next tour. In fact tomorrow. For 2 weeks. Of course, Waverly was happy for her, but she would like nothing more than to accompany her. But she would never have imposed that on her.

 **Nic:** 'Yes! I did! I'm really looking forward to it :)'

 **Waves:** 'Very good :) Do you want to tell me now where it's going?'

 **Nic:** 'Nope. But I'll show you a picture when I'm there!'

 **Waves:** 'Well then.. I'm curious :) You? I wanted to ask you something.. I hope it doesn't come off the wrong way.. but would you be interested in a meeting? At some point after your vacation..?'

After sending of the text, Waverly bit her lip because of a slight nervousness.

 **Nic:** 'Waverly, it doesn't at all... of course I want that :) We'll meet faster than you think! I'm going to bed now, have to get out early tomorrow morning! Good night :*'

 **Waves:** 'Oh, okay, good night? Sweet Dreams :) :*'

Waverly was relieved. At the same time also confused. That was a quick bye today. Otherwise, they always needed longer for it. Hopefully she would write to her the next day because she was not sure how much contact they would have over the next two weeks. The thought of not writing or talking to Nicole for just one day made her restless.


	4. Chapter 4

When Waverly woke up the next morning and checked her messages, she felt a wave of disappointment.

Nicole had not written her back. Actually, since she used to get up earlier than Waverly, she greeted her every morning with a sweet message. Today she only saw a dry 'Seen'.

The next moment she shook her head about herself. She was probably worrying for nothing, after all, this time Nicole didn't as usual got up to work, but set out to a tour. She was certainly already on the way and would write later.

She wondered if it was not completely crazy that she was missing Nicole's morning greeting. But she could not turn it off. Reading her lovely messages had definitely become Waverly's favorite pastime.

_Whether she also feels that way?_

She had not even gotten out of bed, and already wondering if Nicole might felt guilty about not writing her as usual. But she quickly pushed that thought out of her head again. Surely she was busy with other things.

She sighed and swung out of bed. It was 9 am. At 4 pm she had duty at Shorty's again. She decided to join Wynonna to the police station today. She often did that to pass the time, and since there was never much going on, the staff were always happy to have someone to talk to.

She got ready for the day, then went downstairs and made breakfast.  
Just as she turned off the stove, a sleepy Wynonna came down the stairs. Waverly had to giggle at the sight of her big sister each morning. Hair ruffled, half down hanging bathrobe, some smeared mascara and dark circles. A real morning grouch.

"Morning Sis"

"Good morning, you sunshine!" she grinned sarcastically to her sister, who then just sticked out her tongue, took a cup of coffee and leaned against the kitchen counter.

"I'll come with you to the station today. I've nothing else to do till I go to work"

Wynonna blinked up at her and looked a bit surprised.

"Oh? Really? No specific person with whom you could use the time?" now she gave her a playful smile.

Waverly would have smiled usually, but it was 10 am and Nicole still had not written. The other times they have exchanged many messages by this time.

"No.. she's on her way again. What I told you, she travels often. But somehow she didn't really tell me anything about the tour and didn't write me since yesterday"

Wynonna realized that not only was Waverly longing for Nicole, but she was also aware of how much she would like to go as well. She went to her and put her arm around her shoulder consoling.

"Hey.. it'll be fine. You'll also be out of this hellhole soon"

"But how? There is no money and the employers from outside seem to be throwing the application from someone from Purgatory directly in a paper shredder"

Wynonna now was standing right in front of her sister and grabbed her by the shoulders, looking serious.

"My little sister heart! I know it seems almost impossible to make a breakthrough if you're from this area and you're called Earp by last name, but please.. don't talk yourself and your dreams down like that! Someday you'll get what you deserve! ..now let's consume your wonderful breakfast.. I could kill for food right now"

Waverly said nothing, but gave Wynonna a slight smile. Maybe she was right. At the moment, the chances of getting away were slim, but moping did not help. Maybe there was a miracle coming up soon. Suddenly she had to think of a certain person again.

***

"Waverly! What a pleasure to find the esteemed lady back in the station!"

"Hey Doc. The pleasure is all mine!"

Doc was always a gentleman. Waverly could hardly believe that someone like him did certain things with her sister during his working hours.

The two of them lounged together in a room, Wynonna was in the stations kitchen. Her favorite place after the toilet.

"It has been brought to my attention that the spark between you and Mr. Hardy has gone out?" Doc suddenly started.

"So the news circulate, right? That figures.. I certainly haven't the hoped rest from him yet. To your question: there never was a spark" Waverly was visibly groggy by the fact that Champ apparently was bandying about the breakup, even if she did not want to show it.

"I understand.. very well. I doubt he could ever cause a spark between himself and another person except with a lighter" Waverly could see a smile sticking out of his thick mustache, and had to giggle to the comment "and little one.. the chatterbox will not get very far with it. At least not with me!" now he winked at her.

Waverly smiled flattered "Thanks, Doc! ...are you coming for a drink today?"

"Naturally! Especially because my desired accompaniment will undoubtedly also be found there!"

The said companion took this moment to burst into the room.

"Alohaaa, my friends! I just allowed myself 1 liter of coffee!"

Waverly watched the flirtatious glances between the two of them, realizing that there is something to the motto 'Opposites attract'. Doc was so sensible, and Wynonna was such a rascal. She found it extremely amusing. But she was also extremely happy for her sister, because her personality had a reason after all. Her past. Doc was a bastion of calm for her.

While Doc tackled some work at the other end of the room, Wynonna took advantage of the opportunity and trotted over to her sister, whispering to her "Hey Sis, what's the word, has your admirer meanwhile given a sign of life?"

It was 2 pm, 10 minutes ago she had checked her messages again. It felt like 50 times this day already. "Nothing.. I guess I've to wait"

"Hmm.. she'll definitely write soon. Tonight at Shorty's we distract ourselves!" she made a gesture that should show that alcohol should flow properly.

"I've to work Wynonna!"

"Come on, the bar belongs to our aunt! Apart from that, it's Purgatory.. but you can also serve until you're lying under the table" with that she went away and Waverly could not help laughing. "You're unbelieveable, Wyn!"

***

Glasses clinked, people bellowed, loud music boomed. Typical evening at Shorty's. Here in the rustic bar almost exclusively the older generation of Purgatory gathered, and almost exclusively men. Waverly had sweat on her forehead as she served the thirsty guests criss-cross through the bar. She enjoyed the job on the whole, the loose and humorous demeanor of the people, and the flattering comments that the old drunks always gave Waverly, she found very it amusing.

At 6 pm, Doc and Wynonna joined. Whenever she entered the bar and her aunt Gus saw her, a big sigh came up. Wynonna almost always drank half of the goods, and sometimes happened to get slight unpleasant in her intoxication. She was more relaxed when she saw Doc with her, he always kept an eye on her.

Wynonna, as always, first catched the store's attention and Waverly took this opportunity to check her phone again. Still no message. Slowly she became very restless. She surely have taken some breaks in between, could she not have written then? The restlessness turned into a slight panic at the thought that Nicole could have no internet where she is.

"Waverly? WAVERLY!" she startled. How many times was she called?

"I'll be right there, Gus!" her aunt had called her to the back. She should take care of some goods there, and so long Gus took over the work as waitress. Disappointed, she put her phone in her pocket and went to the staff area.

***

"HA! Strike!" cheered Wynonna. She was having a game of billiards with the other regulars while Doc sat by the bar and enjoyed his whiskey. He always had an eye on his beloved.

"Hey Doc.. sometimes also you probably need a short break from my niece, don't you?" Gus laughed at him as she cleaned a jug behind the counter.

"Everything is perfect, my love.. I just want her to have fun!"

"Well then..." he finished his glass with one last gulp "can I get you anything else?"

"I'll gladly take the same again, the game will probably take a while longer" they nodded smiling, then he looked back over to the pool table. They seemed very absorbed in the game.

Suddenly the door to the bar opened and you could hear a lot of whispering. That was an unusual visit. No sleazy, old man, but a young, beautiful woman. She looked around until she saw Doc's baffled face. She walked straight up to him and sat down on the bar chair beside him.

"Haught! What a pleasant surprise!"

"I can say the same thing, Holliday! How're you??" she beamed at him with her white teeth.

"Excellent! Especially with this excellent company! What brings you back to Purgatory?"

"Do you remember how we talked about love back then? I think it brought me back here.."

"Is that so? Who shall be the lucky one?"

"Her name is Waverly. Waverly Earp. Do you know her?"

"It would be a shame if not. This woman is a true enrichment. You weren't able to get to know her back then... how did that happen?"

"The internet is a great invention dear Doc.. maybe you should think about it again" she winked at him, Doc wasn't really the type for phones or anything like that "anyway.. do you know where I can find her?"

"She's on duty, but I haven't seen her since a few minutes. Allow yourself a nice bourbon, as long as you wait here with me for her" he noticed that the woman showed a nervous smile, even if she would rather have seemed relaxed.

***

"All right, boys! It was a nice game again! Let's drink on that!" Wynonna roared, already a little drunk. As she glanced over to her boyfriend, her visage abruptly changed from a broad grin to big, disbelieving eyes. The woman next to Doc on the stool.. was that? NO! That was a mistake, right? Or not? She looked exactly like on the picture which Waverly showed her. She could not be so drunk yet. She was finally sure, and at that moment she sprinted into the personnel area.

"WAVERLY! WAVERLYYY!" she was very excited.

"I'm here, Wynonna! What... what's up with you? How much have you been drinking??"

"It's not the alcohol! Waverly, she's here!"

"Who's here?" Waverly did not seem quite convinced that her sister was not already slight drunk.

"Your internet friend! She's sitting at the bar! Think I'm crazy, but I'm sure!!"

Waverly looked at her incredulously. _Is she really here?_  
She said nothing, stopped her work, and went with a quick step towards bar door, Wynonna excitedly after her.

Before Waverly walked through the door, she turned back to her sister once more "and you're really sure?" she was so shaky already, she could not bear the disappointment of a mix-up now.

"Very sure! Go!"

Waverly took a deep breath, then went through the door. She slowly sneaked around the corner to get an overview. And indeed.

Waverly's heart stopped. Or hit a thousand times faster. One could not say it exactly. The shoulder-length, fire-red hair, the chocolate-brown eyes, the aesthetic figure, the dimpled smile. HER. It was her. And she was only a few meters away.

Now it made sense that she had not written back. And the hidden innuendos. And somehow everything just made sense. The world around her seemed faded out the moment she slowly approached her. Until she stood in front of her, but she had not yet discovered Waverly.

"N.. Nicole..?"

The woman suddenly turned around, a smile with which she could have saved the world appeared on her face.


	5. Chapter 5

"Waverly..."

Both women looked at each other for a few seconds to realize that they were facing each other in person. Until after a while when they collided. The embrace was as firm and strong as if their life depended on it. And above all, the embrace was one thing: trusted.

Waverly slowly pulled out after a while, still completely baffled.  
"What.. how.. what're you doing here?"

Nicole had to giggle, but said nothing. Instead, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and tipped on it. Waverly raised an eyebrow in question. Suddenly Nicole held the phone in front of her face. A picture of the signboard of Shorty's from outside was on it.

"I told you I would show you a picture of where I'm going"

Waverly was gobsmacked. She had already noticed what an extraordinary and flattering person Nicole was, but in person it all felt different. She smiled so lovingly at her and Waverly felt a heady feeling in her stomach. _God, she's thousand times more beautiful in reality..._

The two seemed to be completely lost in the eyes of the other one, until a hawking sounded from the side.

"Eh.. I'll clear off. I wish the ladies a pleasant evening" Doc tapped the edge of his hat, winked smiling, and went to see his beloved. Waverly then took over the empty bar chair.

"You.. you really came all the way over here to see me?"

"Looks like it... and it was certainly worth it" she smiled blushing and a little shyly.

Waverly grinned broadly and put her hand over her own mouth in amazement. As far as she could remember, no one had ever done such a thing for her. No one had ever made her feel the way Nicole did anyway.

"You're really crazy" Waverly had to laugh sweetly "how long will you stay? Where are you staying overnight?"

"No worries, I'll look for a hotel later, and then I'll stay as long as you have time for me"

Waverly did not want to accept the thing with the hotel. Purgatory's hotel left a lot to be desired, she did not want to expect Nicole to put up with it. She kept to herself that she had already planned another sleeping place for her.

"...I'm so happy to see you. I like to take the time"

The whole time the two women exchanged dreamy, smiling, still slightly disbelieving and loving glances.

Wynonna and Doc sat on the other side of the bar, watching the action and raving about the two.

"I think I can now spot the spark at Waverly" said Doc.

"Oh yes, look at that. The two have such a crush on each other. This girl really seems to have it" she rested her head on Doc's shoulder.

"She does, indeed. I've had the pleasure of meeting her a few months ago. A very profound, lovable person"

Wynonna took her head off his shoulder again, staring at him. "You already knew her? And that without internet? How? ...you're always in for surprises" Doc just grinned at Wynonna, continued watching the two of them.

"Hey, you two!" suddenly Gus came up to them "who is the girl with Waverly? I've never seen her here before"

"You'll find out very soon, Auntie. Waverly will tell you all herself" Wynonna had decided not to reveal anything, because she would not have been able to avoid telling it so that it would not have been obvious that Waverly had fallen in love with a woman. She wanted her little sister to tell about it when she was ready herself.

"Mm, okay. I'm curious. Hopefully she remembers that she's still on duty" with that Gus was away again.

Waverly and Nicole kept switching between talking and staring. They were a bit shy, but somehow it felt very nice in the other's company.

"Ehm.. I still have to work unfortunately" she looked at Nicole a bit desperate. She just cursed the work internally. She would have wanted nothing more than to hang out with Nicole all the time. "I'm off at 12 am", it was 10 pm, "I can come to you again sometimes, but maybe you would like to meet my big sister Wynonna? She's sitting there with the nice man with the hat.. wait, you and Doc have already made acquaintance, right?"

"Oh yeah, we did!" Nicole grinned "it's okay Waverly.. I'll get along! Finish your work calmly" now she smiled lovingly and slided down from the bar stool.

Waverly did the same "okay.. see you later" and went back behind the counter with a blushed smile. Nicole looked after her for a while longer, until she looked over to Doc and his companion and decided to join them.

"Hey Doc, mind if I sit with you?"

"But by no means, Mrs. Haught!" he pointed to the free place next to them.

"Excellent.. and you have to be Wynonna, right?"

Wynonna had not spoken to her yet, but she had a surprisingly good impression of Nicole. Normally, she was always somewhat averse to strangers, as she was often prematurely judged. But Nicole had something really nice about her, and besides, Waverly had a crush on her. That was a crucial point.

"Absolutely right! Welcome to Purgatory... Hot?" Wynonna could not help laughing.

"Haha, yes, it's true.. it's Haught! H-A-U-G-H-T. I'm used to giggles, that doesn't impress me anymore!"

"Sorry, I don't mean it, but what a great name! Get ready for a nickname from me! So, you're the one who turned my little sister's head?"

She grinned broadly at Nicole until she realized that she froze. Shortly thereafter she did too. Shit, she should not have said that. It was obvious how the two adored each other, but they certainly did not want to admit it yet. She'd accidentally taken over this part for Waverly.

"Ehhhh I mean.. so you got to know each other via the internet? How ehh.. how did that happen?" she tried to save the situation a bit.

Nicole was bright red, but the small twitching at the corner of her mouth unmistakably "I ahh.. I don't know .. she just caught my attention and yeah.. she's really a very lovley person" she fidgeted nervously with her fingers and smiled sheepishly while she tried to hold back what she all thought about Waverly. The truth was that her head was turned too. But yet she wondered if Waverly had already been raving about her to her sister, or if it was just a casual saying.

"Nice, nice.. where will you get accommodation? You stay a while?"

"Yes, I'll go to the hotel later"

"Hotel? You mean.. Purgatorys Hotel?? Dear... if you want to sleep at least halfway hygienic tonight, come to us"

"Oh, eh, o-kay? Wh.. who is us?"

"Me and Waverly. We live together on the rural Purgatory. I invite you!"

"That wouldn't have been necessary! Thanks!" she tried not to be too excited, but the thought of sleeping at Waverlys place made her stomach do somersaults.

The evening was very relaxed. Doc, Wynonna and Nicole got along great, played cards in between. Waverly continued to happily serve her guests, Gus helped. Actually, everything was like always, except for one thing. Waverly and Nicole kept glancing at each other. Smirking, friendly, caressing looks. Both sometimes had difficulties concentrating on their particular occupation.

When it was almost 11 pm, a young man came into the bar. His expression was very arrogant, pretentious and grim. Nicole noticed him immediately.

"Ugh.. Champ. He should be banned here, nobody wants him here" complained Wynonna.

"Mr. Hardy seems to have already allowed himelf a few... well, do not let us care about his presence" Doc cleared his throat.

Nicole looked at him for a while, eyebrows narrowed, but then focused on other things again.

***

~BANG~

"CHAMP! What was that about?!" shouted Waverly, after she was ducking from a shattered glass Champ had just knocked over in his intoxication.

"Waverly, come back to me! It's not over yet! You can't just break up!" he was aggressive.

"Champ, you're totally drunk!! Go home, I'll not argue with you!"

"You don't? But I'll argue with you! Waverly, you're listening to me now!" he slurred.

Waverly was about to shout at him when her aunt came along.

"Champ Hardy, you scumbag! You'll leave my niece alone right now and leave the bar, or it'll have consequences!" her tone was very harsh.

Champ looked at her for a while to realize what was happening until he showed a disgusting grin.

"Really? And what if not, you old frump?" at that moment he grabbed Gus by the arm, who had to slightly squeak in pain.

"Champ!!! Are you insane?!" Waverly was completely desperate.

The occurence did not go unnoticed on the other side of the room, and Nicole jumped up from her seat and hurried to the bar. Doc and Wynonna followed.

"Hey you!!! Let her go quickly!" she approached Champ from behind, and as he staggered around, she grabbed him roughly by the arm, and made a wristlock on him.

"Ouuuch!! Who're you, you bitch?!"

"Guard your tongue, Mr. Hardy!" said Doc, and pulled out his handcuffs "I'll have to remove him for now. Great effort, Haught!" he took the drunk into his care and led him out the door.

"That shitface! Now the house ban is due! I've to go after, kick Champ in the ass. Thanks, Haught-stuff!" Wynonna grinned at Nicole and followed Doc.

Nicole was still a little baffled by the situation. Then she turned around and saw two frightened women. The sight broke her heart.

"Gus!! Gus are you okay?! This stupid asshole.." Waverly was obviously worried about her aunt.

"Yes, it's ok" she replied, obviously a bit banged up "this guy will never set one single foot in here again! Waverly, you're done for today. It makes no sense anymore" Gus decided to give her freetime after this shocking moment, and after all, there was someone waititng for her.

"O.. okay.." Gus left to blow off her steam. Waverly looked after her worriedly until she turned and saw Nicole standing there. Immediately she went to her and grabbed her gently by the upper arms. Nicole shivered a little at the touch.

"Are you okay?!"

"The question is, are you okay? Did he do something to you? Is your aunt okay?" Waverly was visibly perplexed at all the counter-questions. One could see how much she felt appreciated.

"Y.. Yes.. it's alright. Thanks, Nicole! ..that was really amazing "she said that and looked so deep into her eyes, Nicole did not know what to answer. Waverly noticed that, so she spoke again.

"I'm going home now.. you sure want to go to the hotel?"

Nicole found her words again "actually your sister offered me earlier that I could sleep at your place" a slightly shy smile appeared on her face "if.. that's ok for you"

Since her plan had already worked out, Waverly beamed "of course that's okay! Come on" she put her hand on Nicole's back and led her out.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been too long, I'm sorry. I want to think properly about what to write next, and while I travelled there just wasn't the time. But now I'm back and ready to keep it up! Be excited for the rest of this story :)

"This stupid thing!" Waverly complained as she started to inflate the air mattress for Nicole next to her bed.

Nicole had to giggle "Waverly, I can sleep on the couch!"

"On the couch?" She asked with raised eyebrows "you're almost twice as long as the couch, you won't be able to shut your eyes!"

She probably would not have been able anyway. Sleeping with Waverly in the same room, right next to her bed. That will be difficult. Right?

"Well.. if you insist! Let me at least inflate this thing then. That's the least I could do!"

"Okay.." she handed Nicole the air pump. She started to work and Waverly could not help but stare. Nicole had such a well-trained figure...

Just as Nicole looked up, Waverly decided to act innocent and started babbling "by the way! If you want to get ready for bed, the bathroom is over there!" she looked aside and blushed slightly.

"O-kay. Thank you, Waverly! And you don't think it's weird that I sleep here..?"

"Of course not! You're my guest" she smiled sweetly at Nicole.

She smiled straight back "glad to hear that.. I can only give it back. Alright, I'll change my clothes"

"No problem"

Nicole grabbed her sleeping clothes that were still in the bag and headed to the bathroom. A moment for Waverly to breathe deeply. She walked to her closet and quickly changed herself before Nicole returned. Then she lay down on her bed and put her arm over her face. 'Am I dreaming?'  
She still could not quite believe that the woman from Twitter was currently in her bathroom. Especially not how fast everything went. They had only known each other over the internet for a few weeks, and then she was suddenly sitting in the bar. It felt surreal to Waverly, but the tingle in her stomach made her realize it was reality.

Suddenly the lock clicked. Nicole came back and smiled at her, delighted by Waverly in her sloppy look. Then she let herself fall exhausted on the air mattress.

"Finally!" she let out a loud sigh. But shortly thereafter, she sat up again to look over Waverys edge of the bed "ahm ..who was this guy earlier? Just a random weirdo, or..?"

"No.. it was my ex-boyfriend.. I left him a few weeks ago, that's why he apparently freaked out a little bit" she was pretty ashamed to tell Nicole that she was dating someone like that. On the other hand, she was happy to tell that it was over. That she was single.

"Your ex-boyfriend?! ..I mean, oh! I'm sorry. But he doesn't need to be surprised with this behavior.. right?" she looked a little perplex.

Waverly had to giggle with a sigh. "Yes.. that's true. I'm also rather happy that I left him" she looked Nicole in the eyes "hey uhm.. are you already tired? Or do you still want to chat a little?"

"Yes, sure!"

Waverly pointed on the free side of her bed. Nicole was a bit unsure, but in truth she wanted nothing more than to sit on this bed now. Now they sat together and looked at each other.

"Tell me.. are you doing this often? Spontaneously driving to people you met over the Internet?" grinned Waverly.

Nicole had to smile "no, honestly I don't.. this is the first time. You.. I just wanted to meet you" she had a shimmer in her eyes.

Waverly could have got lost in the shimmer "that's nice.. I'm glad you did. Somehow... it feels like we've known each other forever."

They were talking about everything and anything. It was almost the same as when they were on video chat, only it was a thousand times better. It was just more real than before.

"Oh, shit! It's almost 4 o'clock!" Waverly startled suddenly.

"Hmmm," replied Nicole sleepily, "the thing with the time apparently hasn't changed, right?"

"No.. apparently not. I'm going to brush my teeth fast, then we'll sleep!"

She quickly went into the bathroom and did so, and when she returned to the bedroom, she saw Nicole lying on the air mattress, snoring lightly. Even if she secretly wanted her to fall asleep right on her bed, that lovely sight was enough for now. She crawled under the covers and fell asleep with mixed feelings. But one thing they were not: negative.

***

When Waverly woke up the next morning and looked down to the floor, she saw an empty mattress. It was 9 o'clock in the morning. Actually, she thought she was already an early bird, but apparently she had an competitor now. What was Nicole doing? She went to the bathroom to freshen up before heading down to the kitchen. She heard people talking. It couldn't beWynonna, by this time she is still in deep sleep. She went on.

"................ so that's why I'd like to do that, if that's okay."

"It's more than okay, Nicole. Do it!"

She entered the room and saw Nicole and Gus each with a cup of coffee in their hands and leaning against the counter.

"Good morning, you two! So you already made acquaintance?"

"Good morning angel! Yes, indeed! Who would have thought you can meet such nice people through the internet?"

"Good morning Waverly. And Gus.. you make me blush!"

Waverly smiled heavily. Apparently, her aunt and Nicole got along perfectly, and at the sight her heart melted. Gus always had a good sense if someone is worth it. Again, this was a point that made her even more familiar with Nicole.

"Have you already had breakfast? Otherwise, I'd like to prepare something."

They accepted Waverly's offer thankfully and she made a delicious breakfast, while the three of them chatted in the kitchen, laughed and ate afterwards. As if it wasn't their first morning together.

After some time, a completely disheveled and sleepy Wynonna came down the steps and into the kitchen. The scent of the food must have lured her. She looked as if she had exploded together with a bomb.

With a grim glance and no words she went for the coffee machine, grabbed a cup, sipped it, and then flopped to the nearest chair next to Nicole. Three looks were directed at her, waiting for something.

"Morning" she nodded to her sister and aunt before she turned her sharp look on Nicole.

"Well, apparently we'll finally get to know each other now as well"

Suddenly Nicole had to start laughing "you were right, Waverly. She really doesn't remember anything"

Waverly shrugged "told ya"

Wynonna looked confused "what? I can't remember what?"

Nicole looked thoughtful in an ironic way "hmmm, maybe that we already met in the bar yesterday? And that you drank so much that I had to drag you into Waverly's Jeep?"

Gus had to give an annoyed sigh at the explanation, clearly thinking 'that figures'.

"You're kidding, right? ..huh. All right, then.. we'll get to know each other again! I'm Wynonna, and my hobbies are whiskey, my boyfriend Doc, and beating up people who want to hurt my family" she held out her hand to Nicole with a grin.

"Wynonna!" hissed Waverly over the table. She was anything but thrilled about her sister's introduction and felt embarrassed. She had hoped that she would be a little gentler with Nicole after she had been able to inspire Wynonna about her. Relief came when she saw that Nicole did not let herself be irritated.

"Well, then there is no reason for you to beat me up! I'm Nicole, I'm a cop, and I like Waverly and Gus!" she held out her hand to Wynonna with a self-confident grin.

Impressed, Wynonna shook her hand. In general, people were insecure and averse when she teached them the ins and outs. Waverly did not look bad either.

"Cop, mh? Guess I have to hold back a little bit then" she laughed, because she knew she would not anyway "I like you. You are tough"

"Well, after you have given our guest your test of courage, can you please be more merciful from now on?" asked Gus her somewhat desperately.

"Don't worry, Aunty. She'll be fine "

"And YOU will help her with being fine, got that?" Waverly said seriously, then she turned to Nicole and had to smile instantly "Nicole, I would love to do something with you, but I have to work.."

"You have a few days off" said Gus suddenly.

"I what? What do you mean?" Waverly asked in disbelief.

"I mean, I'm giving you freetime so you can spend time with Nicole"

Waverly almost bursted with joy, but did not want to be too hasty "Gus.. THANK YOU!! But.. is there any substitute? Will you cope?"

"Don't worry darling, we'll keep the bar in business"

"Thank you Gus.. you really are the best!" she kissed her aunt on the cheek, then she turned cheerfully around to Nicole "well... I'm free. Keen to do something?"

"That's really nice of you, Gus! Of course!"

"Hmm.. what could we do in our interessting little Purgatory? ...Oh! I know something! Put on sturdy shoes!"

***

"As much as I love to cruise with my Jeep.. you came here with your patrol car?! I have just decided that it is still on my to-do-list to drive with one like that!"

After dressing in outdoor clothes for the fresh weather, Waverly stood in front of Nicole's police car like a kid, waiting to play car chase. Nicole thought this was funny, and had to giggle.

"Well, I'm not sure if a police car is needed for a hiking trip, but if you insist! it will always give a certain amount of security."

"Don't think the bears in our forests have any mercy for your car. Probably not even most of the human inhabitants here, but maybe you're doing it for my sake..?"

Waverly made a big pout, Nicole was persuaded.

"Gladly, but you have now given me some concern that my beauty may not makes it out alive of this place"

"I think you're a good cop and you'll protect it" smiled Waverly at her, and Nicole's cheeks got a little hot. It was as if she were already putting so much trust in her and relying on Nicole to be good at law and order.

"Well then, let's go!" said Nicole, and Waverly clapped her hands excitedly.

They got into the car and she admired all the equipment. Nicole had to giggle, she thought it was cute and she was very happy that Waverly showed so much interest.

"Pretty cool, right? Maybe I can show you the blue light someday" she joked. Then they finally drove off.

The goal was Purgatorys forest, on the edge of the city. Waverly said there were beautiful places to discover, and she did not want to take them straight to the city center for all the action. Actually, she also looked for opportunities to get to know this beautiful woman who had come specially for her better.

Everything felt so different for Waverly since Nicole arrived. It was better, more exciting, more exciting, newer. She just felt good in her presence and was so curious how the relationship would develop. She was in good spirits, as Nicole was extremely affable.

With good humor and smalltalk they headed for the forest, where Waverly knew a hiking trail.

Once there they started right away. They grabbed their backpacks and walked a narrow path between trees.

"Do you like to go hiking on your travels?" asked Waverly, walking ahead.

"Hiking is like a must on my tours.. I like to discover the areas. By foot you just see so much more" enthused Nicole, as if she just had flashbacks.

"I agree. With this way it isn't any different, just wait!" she looked over her shoulder and grinned at Nicole, who smiled back with joy.

After about three quarters of an hour between dense trees and a slight gradient a bright light was suddenly seen from the right side and Waverly led the two there. They turned the corner and she stopped to wait for Nicole's reaction.

"...wow"

"It's great, right?"

"Waverly, that was really worth it. This is amazing!"

Waverly was overjoyed as Nicole took in the scenario. Not to be expected otherwise, because what they saw was a view over whole Purgatory. From up there, the sight was really magical, and Nicole pulled her phone out to shoot photos that could not replace the human eye anyway., but at least.

"Amazing that after all that you've seen so far the sight of my strange hometown is so astonishingfor you" Waverly laughed.

Nicole noticed that Waverly often talked about her travels as if she was kind of jealous. Even if she did not want to show it. She could understand it though. Not have been able to leave home once at the age of 23 must be tough.

"Hey.. every place has its own magic. Soon you too will experience this..!"

Waverly looked a bit gloomily into the distance, as if she was thinking. After a while, she turned back to Nicole "do you want to sit down with me?"

She did not hesitate and they sat down together on some big stones, looked into the distance.

"This place is special for me," Waverly suddenly started while continuing to look straight ahead. Nicole just listened. "I used to go here often, either to question everything or to switch off completely. Some years ago our eldest sister left us and she is not back yet. We never had a good relationship with her, but it was a shock. Wynonna and I have always been of one mind, and when even she left one day, three years to be exact, I fel like shit. Gus was the only close person I still had. But I felt so abandoned"

Nicole was a little surprised that Waverly suddenly opened up to her. So early. But she took it very seriously and listened attentively.

"In those moments I just wanted to get out. And since I didn't get away from here, I at least came up here"

It was a silence for a moment. Waverly looked as if she did not even expect an answer, but Nicole was interested in her stories. She tried to learn more carefully and to see if Waverly was willing to tell more.

"Wow... I'm sorry. That sounds like a tense time. Tell me if the question is too much, but... what about your parents?"

Waverly kept staring into the distance, facial expressions quite serious. "Gus is 'my parents'. She adopted us later together with Uncle Curtis, who died unfortunately. Just like my biological father. My mother, with her disappearance, was the cause for the actions of my sisters"

It was another short break, and Nicole waited to see if she kept talking or not. All the while, she looked at Waverly from the side. She saw how she went deeper and deeper.

"I'm just wondering... why? Why did she leave? How could she leave her whole family behind?" she asked insecurely, though she knew that no one could answer.

Nicole now looked into the distance.

"Some things just cannot be understood. But I understand your pain"

Now it was Waverly who looked at Nicole from the side, and she was waiting for more.

"When I was a teenager, living with my parents was pretty good. Until that one moment," she had to breathe for a short time. "I told them I was into women. That's all. They threw me out, I came to my grandma. I can still feel that slap in my face, so I know how you feel" she looked Waverly in the eyes, and they looked at each other for a moment. It was as if two people who understood each other finally found each other.

Suddenly Waverly moved a little closer until she finally hugged Nicole without a word. This was the second surprise for Nicole in the short time and she was overwhelmed, at the same time it felt just trusted for her. She allowed it and the two snuggled into each other.

It took awhile for Waverly to break the hug. She looked Nicole in the eyes, smiled briefly, and looked again into the distance. The two enjoyed the atmosphere.

***

"Wynonna? How far are you?" shouted Gus up the stairs, where rumbling noises could be heard.

"I don't know... do you think 10 thongs are enough??" she shouted back.

"I suspect that strongly. Also leave room for other things too, not just underwear!"

"Yeees.. the bag is big enough. Hey, you made friends with Nicole, didn't you?" Wynonna said mockingly.

"She's a good person, Wynonna. And a good chance for Waverly to finally move forward. Don't screw it up!" replied Gus strictly.

"I don't doubt that. But actually you shouldn't trust people from the internet so fast"

"Don't question my flair, Wynonna... and if so, why do you have a dating app?"

"Shit-balls, you won, Gus. I'm happy for Waverly that she has found such a great friend. As well I am with my clothes selection" she grinned at the freshly packed bag, standing in front of her.

As heard the door and Waverly and Nicole, she took it and quickly hid it. Then she went downstairs.

"Heeey you two. Well, had a nice trip? What do you think about our jerkwater town, Nicole?"

Nicole was a bit surprised by the sudden openness, but gladly accepted it "I like it to be honest. You can still discover a lot" after the answer she looked at Waverly, who looked back and smiled.

"Fine, beautiful... that makes me happy. Eh.. I'll go to the bar. The usual, a few beers" she laughed a bit unsettled.

Nicole just nodded, smiling.

"What's wrong with your sister?" Nicole asked Waverly as soon as Wynonna left.

"I think she just needs a while to get used to you. She's rarely on a wavelength with humans, but you're doing well" winked Waverly.

"I'm relieved. By the way, if you don't mind, tomorrow I would like to take over the day planning"

"Oh. Eh, yes, of course! I have a whole week off now, there is also plenty of room for you to decide. Well.. of course I have already made a list with things that we could do. But feel free!"

As Waverly babbled on, Nicole had to grin "that's definitely cute of you, but I've already thought of something nice"

Waverly looked questioningly at her "...and you will also tell me what that will be, right..?

"Guess my answer?"

"No Nicole, please don't tease me like that!" she begged.

Nicole just giggled "haha sorry, but unfortunately that's not possible. You gotta let yourself surprise!"

"Hmm.. revenge for that!" and suddenly she began to tickle Nicole, who screeched and threw herself on the couch, Waverly after her.

Nicole was extremely ticklish, as was Waverly, and the two wrestled with laughter to the point of exhaustion when they finally lay side by side.

Their hands touched lightly, letting sparkles shoot through both of her bodies. Waverly felt a tingle in her stomach and put her hand over it. She just had to smile, about that feeling. It felt so positive, so new and so good. With Nicole, she just felt good. She did not even ask herself what Nicole thought about it now, she just enjoyed it. She turned on her stomach and looked at her dreamily.

"You're a cool person"

Nicole beamed all over her face, which gave Waverly confidence "you are not so bad yourself".


End file.
